99 Problems
by eggxy
Summary: As far as Clary Fray was concerned, she had 99 problems and Jace Wayland was probably about seven of them, maybe only three on a good day.
1. Chapter 1

As far as Clary Fray was concerned, she had 99 problems and Jace Wayland was probably about seven of them, maybe only three on a good day. The reason for this was her contradicting feelings for him. On one hand, she often felt the urge to choke him till his face turned purple when he opened his big dumb mouth. On the other hand, every time he sat close enough to her that their legs brushed, her mind went blank and into full panic mode, sirens and all.

Jace on the other hand seemed incredibly, cool, calm and collected at all times of the day, which was one of her main issues with the boy. He was the adopted older brother of her best friend, Isabelle Lightwood and liked to bug her just about every chance he got. He was always there on the sidelines, pulling her hair and tripping her "by accident", but also defending her to the point of injury when someone else dared to do the same thing. They were polar opposites as people, Jace was energetic, social, excited and a risk taker. Clary was there with him as a voice of reason and to make sure that he didn't hurt himself in the process when he came up with some stupid idea.

They were two very different people. But that never seemed to bother him at least.

"Listen though, you're so lame you're like cool you know? Like sure no one strikes up a conversation with you but like, it's because they can only admire you from afar and they're afraid of how little they'll seem compared to you."

"Jace I love you but every word you just said was utter bullshit and both of us know it."

"Cross my heart, and I mean if you hang out with me, you have to be at least moderately interesting, right?" At this, Clary rolled her eyes.

He bumped her shoulder as they walked home from school, and kicked a stone further down the sidewalk, adjusting his bad as he went.

"Well anyways what more do you need than me right?"

"Well I have Izzy, who's about eighty times better than you. But the traitor had practice so now I'm stuck with you, which I mean is okay I guess."

He scoffed, "Really? But I'm the mature, older, more popular sibling and you like her better?"

At this she rolled her eyes again.

"Well you know what, one day you'll see Clary Fray. You'll realize just how much of a jem I really am."

"Don't you have like, I don't know, other people your age that you can bother instead of preying on the young and innocent?"

"You'll miss me when I'm off at college."

"I'll breathe a sigh of relief." She looked up at him with a smile.

"Okay I get it, I get it, you're too cool and gotta act tough. I'll see you later angel." He replied, parting from her as he walked down his driveway to his door.

"You know that's not my name!" She shouted after him, and felt slightly annoyed at the laugh it earned from him.

Clary sighed and slumped against her door as soon as she made it inside, dropping her bag and slipping to the floor. She smiled and felt light butterflies in her stomach as she thought about their banter. Sure, it wasn't like she didn't seem him almost everyday, but at any given moment she was prepared for him to lose interest in her and only interact when she went over to their house and it couldn't be avoided.

Making her way upstairs she shot a quick text to Izzy letting her know that the front door was unlocked and to just come in whenever she was done practise. As she trudged her way up the stairs, she considered the amount of homework she had for the weekend and thought about whether or not she should start it now and have a clear conscience the rest of the weekend. The latter won over and she pulled out her sketchbook, flipping through the pages for a clean one to kill some time.

An incessant buzz killed her concentration and interrupted Kavinsky's "Nightcall" pulling her away from what she was doing. ' _Izzy'_ flashed on screen and she tapped to answer.

"Hello hello where are you? The sun's already going down."

"Cheer went on for considerably longer than expected. Mom texted saying she's bringing home Chinese so just come over to mine instead, I'll be there in a sec."

"Mmmkay."

With that, her phone beeped signalling the end of the call. Clary made her was back downstairs and slipped on her shoes, leaving a note for her mom and Luke so that they wouldn't make any rash decisions and call a search party without even texting her first.

She made her way across the lawn onto the Lightwood property, gently knocking on the door. Before she got the last tap in, it quickly opened.

"Carrot! I knew you couldn't stay away. Finally reconsidered how desperate you are for my affection?"

"No, I'm here to leech off the food your mom's bring home."

"Oh okay, I mean that works too." He replied, not looking the least bit offended or deterred.

She kicked off her sneakers and made her way across the hall to the living room where the youngest Lightwood sat, intently staring into his phone.

"Woah kid, watch how close you keep that thing to your face or you'll need even stronger glasses than you have now."

Jace huffed, sitting down next to her on the couch she was occupying, and put his arm on the back behind her casually. "Our little Maxy boy has a crush and 's been glued to his screen for like a week now."

At this, Max's ears turned a bright shade of pink and he attempted to look like he hadn't heard the exchange, ducking his head further. Clary leaned her head back into the couch and closed her eyes, yawing.

"Lemme know when Izzy gets here will you? I'm just gonna close my eyes. Two seconds, not even." And with that she sunk into a half conscious nap.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you to anyone who reviewed, favorited or subscribed! Let me know if you have any ideas on where to take this because as of right now im making it up as i go_ _along._

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Clary knew boys were dumb. Problem was, so was she. And that was the first thought that she came to consciousness with. The second was that she was being rapidly poked in the arm, and that that annoyed her.

"Clary wake up already, goddam."

"Whatdu want?"

"For you to get up so we can do things maybe."

She struggled for a second, rubbing her eyes and slowly opening them. What confused her was that she was suddenly on Izzy's large, soft bed, and, try as she might, she could not remember how she had gotten there. "Did you bring me upstairs."

"No you were here when I got up. What I did bring was food." She replied as she gestured to her desk where the highly anticipated Chinese takeout now waited.

"I fell asleep on the couch though?"

"Yeah well either you sleepwalked, or someone brought you up" she gestured dismissively with her hand, "anyways guess what I saw posters being put up for when I was leaving school!"

"The annual UFO and extra-terrestrial life convention?"

Isabelle gave her a dirty look. "A fooooorrrrmmmmaaaaaalllllllll!" She dragged out.

"Oo great! So I can be yours and Simon's third wheel?"

"Okay first of all" She threw up her pointer finger, "you have no proof that this boy will even ask me. It has been how long, and he still refuses to put the moves on me. And second" She extended her next finger, "you could, I don't know I'm just throwing out a crazy idea here, go with someone too?"

"Yeah? And who, pray tell, would I go with now?"

"There are plently of boys out there that I'm sure don't have a date. Worst comes to worst, you ask Max, I'm sure he wouldn't reject you."

"He might! Did you know he has a girlfriend now? I'm sure she wouldn't be thrilled with me stealing her man."

"The little devil he didn't tell me! Well now I'm gonna grill him about for the next week so…" She shrugged. "Listen, I promise not to abandon you when we get there. And I'm sure you'll have a line of guys ready as soon as you walk in all pampered and fancy."

Clary rolled her eyes to that, shifting on the bed to lay down on her stomach and look up at her friend. "Okay whatever I'll bite the bullet and let you have this." Isabelle grinned and patted her arm, "You know I think Jace wont have a date. And I'm one hundred percent sure that he wouldn't be saying no to you anytime soon." She waggled her eyebrows.

"Leave me alone." Clary whined. "You know he doesn't like me like that, and isn't it kinda weird that you want me to be with your brother so bad? I mean I'm no expert but like, some people might kind that kind of creepy."

"Shut up it's perfectly normal. Also he does really like you. You know that he's completely different when you're there. He's nicer and jokes around a lot more. And not in his typical 'too good for the world' way, in more of a good natured, happy to be alive sense."

Clary was tempted to respond saying that, no, she wouldn't really know that he acts any different when she's not around, because of the fact that she isn't there to see it, but decided against it. She mulled over what her friend had told her, considering what she said. It was unfair in a way, if it weren't true, as she would have been given false hope which she suspected was already the case. A little part of her though, thought that maybe he really could like her, and it sent a warm buzz through her to think that maybe he had the same dumb feelings for her too, and that she wasn't alone in her teenage wallowing. Stupid-ass emotions, she thought.

Clary listened to Isabelle get excited at the potential of dressing up as she swiped up her phone and opened Simon's contact. The thing was, she knew Simon like Izzy, and she knew Isabelle like Simon, but she couldn't think of a solid way to tell them this, without being yelled at for telling their secrets, and having the two awkwardly avoid each other for the next century. She settled for informing him about the dance, and trying to build his courage to ask her, without explicitly revealing the other girl's feelings.

"You know, dark blue had always been a good colour on you." Clary suggested, digging into her previously forgotten meal. "And you could never go wrong with-"

"Sister dear sister!" Interrupted her in the middle of her sentence as Jace waltz through the door.

"You know I was talking right?"

"Sorry sorry, continue." He apologised, jumping unceremoniously on the bed and imitating Clary's position, swinging his feet back and forth behind him and propping his chin up on his hands.

"Why are you sunburnt and smell like grass?" Isabelle questioned, looking at him suspiciously.

"What? I was out, why are you looking at me like I kidnapped someone?"

"It's always a possibility with you. Anyways there's a dance coming up. Do you have any current hearts your breaking or do you think you'll be free?"

"Izzy I mean I know you like making a statement, but I don't think the whole going with your sibling thing is really cool anymore. I think people got over that in like, the nineties."

"As if I would wanna show up with you. No, Clary doesn't know who to go with."

"Clary is this your way of promposing to me? If it is I was hoping for something a little more extravagant but I guess I can sett-"

"No this is not Jace. But your sister seems to want to sell me out for a sad loser who's desperate for attention." She gave her friend a dirty look. The girl just shrugged in return.

"Hey I think it would be adorable and if you wont do it for yourselves then someone has to push you two to it right." Isabelle got up, walking to her adjacent bathroom and closing the door behind her. Clary peaked up through her lashes from where she was fiddling with her phone to see Jace shuffling slightly and hiding his sunburnt face which looked at least slightly redder than before she thought, but may have just been a trick of light.

"Well anyways," he abruptly lifted himself up from where he was lying, "it's always a fascinating time hanging out with the two of you, but I must be off to do more manly things like watching sports and punching walls." He continued walking to the door. "I'll catch ya later he winked." And closed the door behind him.

Clary heard his footsteps retreat and the door slam to his own room, followed by a string of curses and what sounded suspiciously like a wall actually being hit before Isabelle came back out of the washroom.


End file.
